Bucks' Parker deemed most likely to stand out in 2014-15

BY John Schuhmann

The 2014 NBA rookie class was much hyped, not only for its top-line talent, but also its depth. And in the results of the 2014-15 NBA.com Rookie Survey, you can see evidence of both.

At the annual Rookie Photo Shoot at the Knicks' practice facility in Tarrytown, N.Y., on Sunday, 38 rookies answered eight questions about their class. And over those eight questions, 39 different first-year players received at least one vote. But it's clear who they think is at the top of their class.

Jabari Parker received the most votes overall. His peers think he's the pick to win the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year and also the best bet to have a great career. The rooks also told us what will be the biggest adjustment as they join the NBA and who their favorite player is.

Note that players were not allowed to vote for themselves, college teammates or NBA teammates.

Worth noting: "He has a complete overall game," one rookie said of Parker. "And he's always in an attack mind set." Nerlens Noel topped our Rookie Ladder at the conclusion of Summer League, but might not have been on most of the rookies' minds on Sunday, because he wasn't in their Draft class or at the Photo Shoot.

Worth noting: The Suns' T.J. Warren gets the "Jack of all trades, master of none" award for this Rookie Survey. He got eight total votes, but in six different categories, with this being the only question he got multiple votes on. Only No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins also got votes on six different questions.

Worth noting: As usual, this question got the biggest variety of responses, including six Lottery picks. One rookie thinks McGary is set to open some eyes, having missed most of last season due to injury. "He's going to be a really good role player for [the Thunder]," the unnamed rook said. "He's going to bust his tail and earn himself a spot." Maybe the winner should have been No. 5 pick Dante Exum, who got only two total votes on this whole survey, in part because he was absent from the Photo Shoot.

Worth noting: LaVine got the most votes on any single question, and Wiggins got the most of any second-place finisher. After seeing LaVine's and Wiggins' contributions to this Vine thread, it's clear that the voters know what they're talking about.

Worth noting: McBuckets shot 12-for-27 (44 percent) from 3-point range and 22-for-23 (96 percent) from the free throw line at Summer League. Pretty, pretty, pretty good. "His shot is so pure," one rookie said Sunday. "He has the calmest game," another, who said McDermott would have the best career, added. "He's very patient."

Worth noting: The Magic and Sixers each had two guys in the top seven (even with most voters seemingly forgetting about Noel), good news for coaches Jacque Vaughn and Brett Brown, respectively. When talking about Aaron Gordon, one rookie noted how good of a defensive program Sean Miller has been running at Arizona. "They're typically at the top of the college basketball defensive ratings." Gordon, the same rookie noted, "can defend multiple positions and is good on ball screens." There was no "smartest rookie" question, but we nominate that guy.

Worth noting: Ennis is obviously a more traditional point guard and, as a Canadian, gets to work with Steve Nash in the summer. Anderson, who is 6-foot-9 and averaged 6.5 assists in his last year at UCLA, should be fun to watch in the Spurs' system. "He's always been a pass-first facilitator," another rookie said.